The Crystal Chalice (Book 1) by R.J. Grieve

Author:R.J. Grieve
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2013-04-05T23:00:00+00:00

Morning brought with it not the Turog, but grey skies and rain. The clouds wept a steady, soaking, drizzle that soon had their hooded cloaks dripping. The golden days of the grasslands were behind them. The plateau was in reality a heather-covered heath, much riven by sudden valleys carved by exuberant peaty-brown streams. Through the rain-blurred air to the south, a line of jagged mountains could be distinguished, not quite of the height and majesty of the Westrin Mountains but still constituting a formidable barrier. The only comfort was that the drenching rain would confuse their scent and make the business of tracking them more difficult. In order to further confuse pursuit, they turned eastwards rather than following the more predictable route to the south. The rain turned the heathland into a nightmare of bogs and marshy ground, concealed by innocent-looking mosses and lichen into which the unwary could plunge knee-deep. Relisar, who never possessed much presence of mind, paid for his inattention by twice having to be hauled out of peaty morasses which left him shivering, dirty and soaked to the skin. The others were in little better state. The drizzle found its way through every layer of clothing, until they hadn’t a dry stitch between them. Water poured in rivulets off every rock and down every hollow. The streams in the abrupt, tree-filled ravines became roaring torrents which were perilous to cross. The Prince, who was leading, tried to avoid descending into these glens, as it inevitably meant a rushing stream to ford. He was leading the company along the rim of one of these valleys, trying to find a way around it, when without the slightest warning, the earth at the edge of the valley, weakened by so much rain, gave way. The Prince and Elorin, who had been walking behind him, found the ground disappearing from beneath their feet and tumbled helplessly down into the valley complete with soil, ferns and a small hawthorn tree. It wasn’t such a bad fall, more of a tumble, for the valley sides were not as steep as usual at that point, and the Prince soon picked himself up. However, Elorin had fallen further and had been brought up with a clearly audible thud against the bole of a tree. When she didn’t instantly arise, Andarion slithered down the slope to her in some concern. As he bent over her, he suddenly found himself rudely thrust aside. He turned to Celedorn, a sharp rebuke on his lips, but the words died unborn as he saw the look of anxiety on his face. Celedorn knelt beside Elorin, trying to shield her from the rain. Instantly she opened her eyes and gave a soft groan. “Oh, my head hurts. What hit me?”

“A tree,” said the Prince laconically from over Celedorn’s shoulder.

Celedorn gave vent to his anxiety in his usual fashion. “Of all the stupid things to do! Walking right on the edge like that!” he declared roundly, the tone of his voice at odd variance with the look in his eyes.

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